Hankster News of the Day for Independent Voters - June 26

VIRGINIA INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE
Howell Vows to Wear Name Tag Until Election (by Katie Pyzyk, Arlington VA Now) Howell believes part of the problem with campaigning, particularly as an independent, is the lack of name recognition. To remedy that problem, he’ll wear a name tag every time he’s in public until the election. Howell hopes he’ll get enough exposure so people will recognize his name by the time they get to the polls. He said there’s only one exception to the name tag rule: “When I’m wearing a campaign t-shirt in the gym.”

CALIFORNIA INDEPENDENTS
California GOP sinking into third-party status -- 'There's no middle,' says a longtime Santa Cruz County Republican who has joined the more than one-fifth of registered voters who have no party preference. (By George Skelton Capitol Journal, LA Times) More than one-fifth of registered voters, 21.3%, are listed with no party preference, according to the Secretary of State. That's double the 10.7% in 1996 and more than quadruple the 5% in 1972.

WASHINGTON STATE INDEPENDENTS
All eyes on Washington's independent voters -- Even though Washington state has gone Democratic for every governor since 1980 and every presidential candidate since 1988, more Washingtonians have considered themselves Independents than either Democrats or Republicans (By H. Stuart Elway, Special to The Seattle Times) Unlike in most states, voters here do not have to register by party. Nearly every month for the past 20 years, The Elway Poll has asked Washington voters what they would choose to do if they registered by party. The 20-year average is: 33 percent would register as Democrats, 28 percent as Republicans and 39 percent as Independents.

UTAH PRIMARIES
Independent voters may be shut out of GOP primaries - Lawmakers may allow law to expire, ending Election Day party switch. (By Lee Davidson, The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah law allows voters to switch party affiliations anytime, except for 30 days before an election when all voter registration temporarily ceases. So if the current law expires, unaffiliated voters wishing to vote in a GOP primary would have to register as Republicans at least 30 days before the election.

OHIO INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING
Let's take politics out of redistricting process (Mary Kirtz Van Nortwick, Cleveland Plain Dealer) Petitions are being circulated now, and 386,000 valid signatures must be gathered by July 3. For a more detailed look at the proposed constitutional amendment, go to votersfirstohio.org. Learn the facts about the consequences of partisan redistricting and find out what you can do to help change the system for the good of all voters, regardless of party affiliation.

ARIZONA PRIMARIES
Arizona Libertarian Party Opens 2012 Primary Election to Independent Voters (by Hot Off The Press, Press Release, Tucson Citizen) Libertarian Party files paperwork with the Arizona Secretary of State’s office requesting an open primary on August 28th, 2012. The Chairman and Board of the Arizona Libertarian Party have voted to open the August 28, 2012 Libertarian Primary Election to members of political parties that are not entitled to continued representation on the ballot pursuant to section ARS 16-804, and to voters who are registered as independent or no party preferred.

NY POLITICS

• New Endorsements Announced For 2012 Candidates Across The Empire State (BY James Arkin, Daily News/Daily Politics) State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky took home two endorsements on the day - one from the Independence Party of New York State and leaders of the Working Families Party in Queens.
• As Queens Looks to Fill a Congressional Seat, the Democratic Race Is Wide Open (By DAVID W. CHEN, NY Times/ NY Region) In an interview, the low-key Ms. Meng vowed that she would be an independent force in Washington who would focus primarily on transportation, infrastructure and economic issues. “When I’m drafting or supporting legislation, no one is whispering in my ear except constituents,” she said. “I’ve never had political rabbis.”
• New York Congressional race pits ex-Black Panther vs. Obama-lite moderate (Opinion by David A. Love, NBC News/The Grio)

NY: Charles Barron Set to Challenge Rep. Ed Towns

NEW YORK
Charles Barron on the rise of Moammar Khadafy and the fall of Herman Cain (By Reid Pillifant,
Capital New York) "We don't need the [Hakeem] Jeffries and the [Ed] Towns there. Because look what happened with David Paterson. He has a chance to select a black senator, the black senator for this state, and he gives us Gillibrand, because he's trying to win an election that he's not going to run for. You know, just having black people in certain positions, without black consciousness and black commitment to black agendas and black issues, is a problem."

New York City Local Round-Up: John Liu Down, Charles Barron Iffy, Independent Redistricting Nowhere to be Found

NEW YORK

• New fundraising arrest raises more doubts about Liu’s future (By Colby Hamilton, WNYC/ THE EMPIRE) “It doesn’t look good for a city comptroller to now have two sets of investigations going on over his campaign fundraising,” said Dick Dadey, the executive director of the good government group Citizens Union. “For a citywide elected official, and an aspiring mayoral candidate, it raises questions that he can’t afford to have asked.”
• Towns Faces Opponents in 2012 Primary (by Harold Egeln, Brooklyn Daily Eagle) Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (D-Crown Heights/Bedford-Stuyvesant), who has already started a campaign web site and a fund-raising effort, and Councilman Charles Barron (D-East New York/Brownsville/Canarsie), who is just now exploring a possible run for Congress, are his contenders at this point.
• Charles Barron has already decided where to announce his run for Congress (By Reid Pillifant,
  CAPITAL NEW YORK) After a "very positive" meeting on Friday night, Councilman Charles Barron said he's "moving closer and closer" to running for Congress, and he's already settled on when and where he might announce a second challenge to Representative Ed Towns.
• Lawmakers Already Drawing Up Special Session Wish Lists (By Andrew J. Hawkins, NY Capitol News) Sen. Joseph Addabbo, who has been advocating for a special session since the regular session ended in June, said redistricting during the special session amounted to “wishful thinking” at this point, especially since it lacked budgetary implications.

2010: The voters voted against politics as usual.

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Two Regional Parties - Democrats, Republicans both retreating to geographic corners. (National Journal) The number of voters who consider themselves members of either party is dropping significantly, according to surveys. Independent voters fed up with the ways of Washington and politics as usual are inventing a new landscape in which neither party is safe.
• The Morning After: What Independents Want (POSTED BY NANCY HANKS, The Moderate Voice) Structural political reform like open primaries, nonpartisan elections, initiative and referendum, nonpartisan redistricting...
• Neither political party seems to get it (LETTER Des Moines Register) The voters voted against politics as usual.
• The Post-Midterms Game Plan for Progressives (Katrina vanden Heuvel and Robert L. Borosage, The Nation) Independents are not a stable group of voters with fixed opinions equidistant between two parties. Rather, independents tend to be voters who are paying less attention to politics, and with less information, than partisans. Most tend to favor one party over another. A fired-up base brings out the independents that lean to that party and may also help persuade true independents.
• What a 'write-in' avalanche tells us about election (By the Peninsula Clarion, Alaska Journal of Commerce) In short: No matter what the "rules" are, Alaskans are going to find ways to vote the person, not the political party.

REFORM

• Is winning an election enough? (By Tom Bell, Portland ME Press Herald)

BLOOMBERG 2012

• Bloomberg is a good pick for 2012 (by ROBBIE OTTLEY, The Red and Black - University of Georgia) Maybe it’s time for the nation to look outside the two-party system toward an independent candidate for president. And maybe that candidate is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

COLORADO

• New vote tally in HD 61 expected next week -State won't appeal ruling, Curry still trails Wilson by 495 votes (John Stroud, Glenwood Springs Post Independent)

CONNECTICUT

• Malloy Lauds Foley for Conceding in Governor's Race (By SUSAN HAIGH, Litchfield County Times)

NEW YORK

• Charles Barron Supports Mumia, discusses plans of Freedom Party (By Dee Knight, Workers World)
• Barron Denounces Mayor, Choice of Black as Chancellor (By Meghan Keneally, NY Observer)
• A new head of the class - An innovative chancellor steps down (The Economist)
• After the Shellacking: What D.C., Albany Power Shifts Could Mean for Commercial Real Estate Market (By Robert Knakal, NY Observer) I am a registered independent who has equal dissatisfaction for politicians from both parties when bad policy is endorsed and, conversely, I have financially supported, and voted for, independents as well as Democrats and Republicans.

LAST WORD

• Stewart to Maddow: ‘I like you’ (Politico) At one point, Maddow said she was not simply looking to lift up the left, and was looking for bad arguments wherever she found them. Stewart argued that the same could be said of Fox, which he said was “ideological but not partisan.”

Weirdness, Independents and the Midterm Elections

MIDTERMS

• Weird Findings From 2010's Exit Poll Data (By Kevin Drum, Mother Jones) And then there are the "independents." The scare quotes are deliberate, because it's hard to know what to make of them. It's a big group and it shifted strongly Republican, which makes them an important factor in the election. But there's more to this.
• Youth Turnout About 20%, Comparable to Recent Midterm Years (Circle - Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, Tufts University)
• Time for the Tin Man to Show Some Heart (John Zogby, Forbes/DATA PLACE) As this election showed again, this is not an ideological nation, and there is no such thing as a mandate election for left or right policies. The truly independent voters who decide elections care very little about whether policies or candidates are liberal or conservative.
• Tea Party Election Results Diluted in Highly Populated States (By Tom Moroney and Terrence Dopp, Bloomberg Businessweek)
• Avlon: Tea Party Lost the Senate (FRUMFORUM NEWS, John Avlon)
• In Washington, an Awkward Triangle of Power (By GERALD F. SEIB, Wall Street Journal) Overnight, the most important relationship in town is no longer between the president and his party's congressional leaders, but the uneasy triangle of Mr. Obama, Republican John Boehner, the likely new House Speaker, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
• Tuesday's results are open to (careful) interpretation (By Dan Balz, Washington Post) Independents didn't just defect from Democrats - they deserted them in droves. If there is one number from all the exit polls that leaps out, it is from Ohio, where independents went for Republican Rob Portman, who won the Senate race, by a staggering 39 percentage points. In the state's gubernatorial election, independents backed winner John Kasich by 16 points. Overall, independents voted Tuesday for Republicans by a margin of 18 points. Two years ago, Democrats won them by eight points.
• The Nation We Have, Not the Nation We Wish For (Mark Lilla, New York Review of Books blog) But there is still one powerful symbol the Democrats could capture because today’s Republicans explicitly reject it: fairness. “Life isn’t fair” is a refrain you hear constantly from the right. Yet there is a strong sense in the nation today that things are rigged, especially at the top of the economic ladder, and this has only intensified since the bailouts of early 2009. The unwillingness of the Obama administration to engage in economic populism in this intensely populist age, when skepticism of “Wall Street” just keeps rising, is utterly baffling to me. This is the one area where they could get a toehold, if not with the Tea Party hardcore then with the vast numbers of independents who sympathize with it and have floated back to the Republican Party because of it

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Stop coddling voters (Reno News & Review) There have been four changes in elections in the last few cycles that have undermined democracy in Nevada and created an unsustainable cycle of ignorant voters and legislators, and rich and connected candidates. The four changes were 1) term limits for some elected officials; 2) earlier primaries; 3) early voting, and 4) motor voter. There are other problems. For example, non-partisan, independent voters—the electorate that decides most elections in Nevada—are excluded from the primaries. Many states have open primaries that allow all registered voters to vote, which would allow every party to get better candidates, but that’s a topic for another editorial in about 18 months

NEW YORK

• Unions made the NY difference (By JERRY SKURNIK, NY Post) The unions were effective again. Avella was one of two Democrats to take a GOP Senate seat; the other was David Carlucci in Rockland County. UFT President Michael Mulgrew told me that hundreds of union members campaigned for both candidates, with members from Manhattan and The Bronx going to Rockland.
• NY Taxpayers Party Unlikely to Qualify for Ballot Line (Uncovered Politics blog)
• The other third party, on the left (By Azi Paybarah, WNYC/The Empire) …is the Green Party.
• Barron: 'They Were Afraid Of Us' (By David Freedlander, NY Observer/Politicker)

Strong Showings by Independents and Third Parties on November 2

SELECTED INDEPENDENT ELECTION RESULTS

• Independent Lincoln Chafee Declared Winner for Governor (ABC Providence/New Bedford)

• It’s Leahy in Vt.; Maine up for grabs (By Glenn Adams, Boston Globe) Independent Eliot Cutler was leading Republican Paul LePage as results were being tallied in Maine’s race for an open governor’s seat late last night.

• GOP claims control of House, but Democrats still hopeful (By Lynn Bartels, The Denver Post) Democrats appeared to have picked up one seat after Rep. Kathleen Curry, an unaffiliated from Gunnison, lost her attempt to win through a write-in campaign, but she is likely to challenge the results in court.

• Wilson the apparent winner in District 61 race - Curry awaits Friday ruling on questionable ballots (John Stroud, Glenwood Springs Post Independent) Reports from Garfield, Pitkin, Eagle, Gunnison and Hinsdale counties gave Wilson 9,495 votes to incumbent write-in candidate Kathleen Curry's approximately 9,000 votes.

NEW YORK

• John Sampson and Dean Skelos must move state Senate forward to bipartisan cooperation (Editorials, Daily News)
• Mixed Bag For The Working Families Party (By David Freedlander, NY Observer)
• Incomplete Data from New York Gubernatorial Race Seems to Suggest that Independence Party Fell to Fifth Row on Ballots (Ballot Access News)
• Third Party ballot shuffle ahead (by Rick Karlin, Albany Times Union/Capitol Confidential) the Working Families Party is hoping to move up a notch from Line E to Line D, supplanting the Independence Party which didn’t do so well this year.
• "David Cuomo" Wins Despite Low Turnout; Senate Undecided (Gothamist)
• That "David Cuomo" Guy Is No Barack Obama, Young Voters Say » (By Celeste Katz, Daily News/Daily Politics)
• 2010 Election results (NY Post)
• The Rent May Be Too DAMN High, But Vote Totals Were Too DAMN Low -- UPDATED » (By Celeste Katz, Daily News/Daily Politics)
• Low Voter Turnout in New York (By Beth Fertig, WNYC)
• Jimmy McMillan “Rent Is Too Damn High” Candidate Gets 40,000 Votes For N.Y. Gov (Post by Associated Press, NewsOne)
• Big Margin for Cuomo, but Short of Historic (By SAM ROBERTS, NY Times)
• Green, Working Families survive (By Casey Seiler State Editor, Albany Times Union)

How Independents Used Their Votes on November 2

The Jim Crow of Bipartisan Rule (Dr. Omar Ali, The Public Professor blog) "Voting for candidates who offer a challenge to the rules of the game is a way of dealing a blow to the Jim Crow of bipartisan rule. It is also a way of building today’s independent movement and helping the nation move toward non-partisan governance. So, please, keep the movement and the long-term in mind when you cast your ballot this Tuesday."


Will Election Day be independents’ day? (By Susan Frick Carlman, Naperville IL Sun Times) "Four out of 10 voters would check “neither of the above” if asked to choose between Democratic and Republican loyalties, according to polls taken by CNN, ABC News, the Wall Street Journal and others. “It’s hovered around 40 percent since 2006, so it’s not spiked dramatically in the last year, but it hasn’t gone down,” said John Opdycke, an Evanston IL native and chief of staff at New York-based Independentvoting.org, the online presence of the Committee for a Unified Independent Party...“In general, independents are dissatisfied with partisan politics, and the way in which partisans have turned American civic and political life into a bloodsport,” he said. “And they express that dissatisfaction on Election Day, typically by voting against the party in power.”

Letter to the Editor/Staten Island Advance
By SARAH LYONS
ST. GEORGE

I applaud Borough President Jim Molinaro’s willingness to cross party lines and endorse Andrew Cuomo for governor.

Cuomo, of course, is not just running as a Democrat. He’s also on The Independence Party line. The more votes Cuomo receives on Column "C," the more pressure he’ll feel to govern in a non-partisan fashion.

That’s important because we’ve all seen the negative effects of party politics. Indeed, both major parties derive much of their power from the fact that voters have no other place to go. That’s why the independent movement, with its focus on structural political reform and opening up the process, remains so important and so relevant.

There’s another good choice in the governor’s race this year. It’s helping the fledgling Freedom Party win ballot status with 50,000 votes.

Launched by City Councilman Charles Barron as a challenge to the Democratic Party’s monopoly of the black and Latino vote, it’s an independent effort with the potential to bring much needed political options to a growing segment of New York City’s population.

Staten Island has vibrant minor parties in Independence, Conservative and Working Families. A minor party highlighting the interests of the African-American and Latino communities would be a welcome addition to the mix.

[The writer is chair of the Independence Party of Richmond County.]
Published: Thursday, October 28, 2010, 12:00 PM Updated: Thursday, October 28, 2010, 12:48 PM

Women, Independent Voters Show Biggest Swing From 2008 (FoxNews.com) Independent voters supported Democrats 51 percent of the time compared to 43 percent of the time for Republicans in 2008. But in 2010, the Democrats garnered only 39 percent of the independent vote compared to 55 percent for the GOP.

Pennsylvania Courts Make Third Parties Outlaws

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independents decide on their candidate for Governor in the 2010 election (Baltimore Independent Examiner, Hassan Giordano) Independent voters are slowly becoming the State’s most powerful voting bloc, well behind Democrats yet barely trailing Republicans. In fact Independents have more registered voters in the City of Baltimore than do Republicans and are close to outpacing them in Montgomery County (behind by only 821 voters). As Independent voters in this state equal a little more than a half-a-million registered voters, the question still remains as to how many will actually turnout to vote this fall and to which party’s candidate they shall pull the lever for?

PENNSYLVANIA

• Some political parties remain outlaws in Pa. - The courts have effectively kept them off the ballot. (By Oliver Hall, Philadelphia Inquirer) Pennsylvanians may notice something unusual when they go to the polls in November: Their choices for governor, lieutenant governor, and U.S. Senate will be limited exclusively to Republican and Democratic candidates. Only four other states' 2010 general-election ballots are so restrictive.

UTAH
h/t to Randy Miller the Utah League of Independent Voters for these:

• Now more than ever, choose the person, not the party
• I DON'T GET IT (Dave Glissmeyer for Congress 2010 website)
• What should a voter do? (Suresh Kulkarni, Standard Examiner - Ogden, Utah)

NEW YORK

• In Debate For NY Governor, Freedom Party's Barron Shines (Black Star News Reporting Staff Roundup) Barron seemed to set the pace at the debate, returning repeatedly on themes that affect Blacks and Latinos; and arguing that rather than focusing on cutting services, New York's wealthy needed to pay more in taxes. 
• Cuomo takes a group pummeling - Lesser lights do the attacking as Paladino never mentions front-runner (By Tom Precious, NEWS ALBANY BUREAU Buffalo News)
• Talespin: Debate will be a one-on-six fast break (By James V. Franco, The Troy Record) Five of the seven have no chance at winning anything — and that can probably be extended to include Paladino too after the three or so weeks his campaign had — other than promoting their narrow causes, which is fine. At least the respective "parties" are backing one of their own instead of selling out to a major party candidate like the Working Families Party and Independence Party.
• The debate stage: Cuomo next to Barron (by Jimmy Vielkind, Albany Times Union/Capitol Confidential)
• Candidates make their cases to you (By Jimmy Vielkind Capital Bureau, Albany Times Union)
• Minor Parties Eclipse Paladino at Debate, while Cuomo Enjoys the Ride (By Bob Hennelly, WNYC)
• Cuomo, Paladino Avoid Personal Attacks in 7-Way New York Governor Debate (By Henry Goldman, Bloomberg.com)
• Jimmy McMillan, Kristin Davis and other fringe candidates make mockery of gov debate (BILL HAMMOND, NY Daily News)
• Bizarro Bozos’ ‘Gong Show’ (John Podhoretz, NY Post)

Barron: Don't Let Cuomo Hide Behind Paladino's Big Mouth

There's a debate coming up on Monday night  at Hofstra University that includes all the New York governor candidates.  See Celeste Katz's article below for info on the debate.

Please read Frank Lombardi's interview with Barron in the NY Daily News  "I'm In It To Win, Not To Spoil, Not To Entertain". The Brooklyn Councilman had this to say about the Dem/Repub (although, Cuomo is also running on the NY Independence Party line) dynamic duo: "I’m saying Paladino is not going to win. He’s not going to win. He doesn’t have a chance of winning really. But Cuomo is hiding behind this loose cannon to neglect dealing substantively with our community. He’s hiding behind that..."

Monday's Gubernatorial Debate: The Lowdown »

BY CELESTE KATZ

Here's the latest on Monday's big gubernatorial debate at Hofstra University, which is co-sponsored by Newsday and News12.

Your candidates, in alphabetical order, are:

• Charles Barron (Freedom Party)
• Andrew Cuomo (Democratic/Independence/and Working Families Parties)
• Kristin Davis (Anti-Prohibition Party)
• Howie Hawkins (Green Party)
• Jimmy McMillan (Rent is 2 Damn High Party)
• Carl Paladino (Republican/Conservative/Taxpayers Parties)
• Warren Redlich (Libertarian Party)

The 90-minute debate starts at 7 p.m. and will be telecast live and commercial-free on News 12 Long Island, News 12 Westchester, News 12 Hudson Valley, News 12 The Bronx, News 12 Brooklyn, Time Warner Cable’s NY1, NY1 Noticias (with Spanish interpretation) and YNN. The debate is also being made available to National Public Radio stations throughout New York State.

If you want to be there in person, 100 tickets are being made available to the general public through a random drawing at www.hofstra.edu/2010debate, so go there to register before Friday, October 15, at 9:00 a.m. (Ie., step on it!)

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Wooing Hearts and Minds in Land of Independents (By DEVLIN BARRETT, Wall Street Journal) In the state's heated U.S. Senate race, Democrat Richard Blumenthal and Republican Linda McMahon are locked in a bruising battle to win over Connecticut's more than 900,000 unaffiliated voters, who outnumber about 800,000 registered Democrats and some 400,000 registered Republicans.
• Independent Voters Could Decide Congress "American Voices": Katie Couric Talks With Voters Seeking Political Compromise at Philadelphia's Independence Hall (CBS News)
• The Rise of Middle-of-the-Road Radicals (By GERALD F. SEIB, Wall Street Journal)

IDAHO

• Independent candidate given rare opportunity to join Idaho gubernatorial debate (By Ben Botkin - Magic Valley Times-News) In round three, the Democratic challenger and Republican incumbent were joined by Jana Kemp, an independent candidate who had a rare opportunity to get the same level of public exposure that Republican and Democratic candidates routinely receive.

CALIFORNIA

• Maldonado for lieutenant governor (Long Beach Press Telegram) He's smart, moderate and is one of the few legislators who's single-handedly changed the broken political system in California by giving Prop. 14 a shot with voters.
• PROP 14, CALIFORNIA'S OPEN PRIMARY MEASURE, IS ALREADY BEGINNING TO EXERT ITS INFLUENCE (by Greg Lucas, CAIVN)
• June's Prop 14 – A Threat to the Democratic Majority (By Paul Mitchell, California Progress Report)

NEW YORK

• Charles Barron On Monday's Big Debate: "I'm In It To Win, Not To Spoil, Not To Entertain" (BY FRANK LOMBARDI, The Daily Politics by Celeste Katz, NY Daily News/Daily Politics) ”No, not that if things were equal. I’m saying Paladino is not going to win. He’s not going to win. He doesn’t have a chance of winning really. But Cuomo is hiding behind this loose cannon to neglect dealing substantively with our community. He’s hiding behind that. And that’s more dangerous because if Cuomo wins and we don’t make him held accountable, just by what he’s saying is dangerous.
• Green Party vs. Tea Party at Hofstra Gubernatorial Debate (Huffington Post, Alan Singer - Social studies educator at Hofstra University)
• Activist groups trying to reform dysfunctional Albany (Jill Terreri, Democrat and Chronicle) New players in the mix are a good thing, said Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union, a group that has pushed for fair redistricting since 2005. "I think it reflects a growing feeling of New Yorkers that reform is necessary in Albany," he said. "The more organizations and resources devoted to the fight for reform, the better. ... People really want to see change."
• Struggle For Power: Independents Could Tip Outcome Of Upstate Senate Race (By: Erin Billups, NY 1)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 10/14/10

Pollsters and election statisticians have turned an eye to registration numbers in an effort to keep their heads above water in the sea change that is taking place in American politics. More people are becoming independent, choosing candidates not parties. There's chatter about a third party... And as Jackie Salit pointed out in her recent Report from the President at IndependentVoting.org 

"Right now, it’s very hard for the American people to express themselves.  The media has molded politics into a blood sport.  And the political system channels everything into a left/center/right, Democratic/Republican paradigm that undermines progress and rewards division. Independents are trying to make a statement about all of that. But even so, we barely register as “real,” even though, paradoxically, we now decide many important elections." 

One of the ways independents have taken on this fight is by challenging partisan attempts by both Repubs and Dems (depending on which party is the "minority" party in the state legislature) to close primaries. Such is the case in Idaho where a federal judge will hear testimony in a trial that could have national implications. Idaho voters do not register by party. Californians voted in June for a Top Two open primary referendum that enfranchised 3.4 million decline to state independents.


The gov race in New York has just gained new life.  New Yorkers have two good choices in November -- Andrew Cuomo on Column C the Independence Party line, or Brooklyn City Councilmember Charles Barron -- who I personally believe deserves support in his challenge to the Democratic Party establishment. Councilman Barron, a former Harlem Black Panther Party activist in the sixties, has taken a very positive step forward in the attempt to create ballot status for the new Freedom Party. Freedom needs 50,000 votes on Column J. 


More below...

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Wooing Hearts and Minds in Land of Independents (By DEVLIN BARRETT, Wall Street Journal)  Independent voters will be crucial to congressional races all over the country, and nowhere more than in Connecticut, where the biggest party is no party at all.
• Registration Trends in ‘Purple’ America (By Rhodes Cook, Wall Street Journal) From the late 1980s to 2008, the share of Democratic voters decreased from a slight majority of all those registered (51%) to 43%. The number of Republicans remained virtually unchanged, slipping slightly from 33% to 32%. Meanwhile, the proportion of those that chose not to identify with either party spiked upward from 16% in 1987 to 25% in 2008.
• Voters want a different change (By CHUCK RAASCH • Gannett National Writer, Oregon Statesman Journal) All across the country, independents — many of them struggling blue-collar workers — are making similar calculations. Many helped elect Obama in 2008 and solidified the Democrats' hold on Congress. They appear to be just as engaged in this new season of discontent, but on the opposite side.
• Our Opinion: Can Anyone Really Tap Into Voter Frustration? (Press & Dakotan) Frankly, other than its condemnation of the failures of both political parties, the independents’ proclamation relies on dashes of familiar rhetoric and promissory populism as it tries to tap into a widespread anger, now mostly loudly presented by the Tea Party, without aligning itself with any particular political ideology.
• Election Unlikely to Change Policy or Politics (John Zogby, Forbes/DATA PLACE) The strongest trend in our politics is contempt for both parties that is greatest among independents, but also includes voters affiliated with both parties. These people want solutions and cooperation; and if neither party offers that, I believe they would be very open to a third party that offers it.
• Triage Time for Democrats - Who can be saved with money, and who needs operational help that can't be delivered in time? (by Charlie Cook, National Journal/Off to the Races) Since ideologues and partisans are pretty much diametrically opposite of independents, tackling both jobs -- stimulating the base while reaching out to independent voters in a tough environment -- is awfully hard.
• MediaPlanIQTM: How to Influence Independent Voters - Still Time to Sway Votes for Midterm Elections (marketwise)
• Partisan Voter Registration Totals (Michael P. McDonald, Huffington Post) Twenty-nine states plus DC offer persons the option of declaring a party affiliation when they register to vote. Party registration totals thus provide a snapshot of the overall partisan balance within a state. Comparisons of these statistics over time provide a broader picture of overall trends.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Trial begins in GOP closed primary lawsuit (By Ben Botkin - Magic Valley Times-News writer) “It would have national ramifications,” said Harry Kresky, an attorney for IndependentVoting.org, an intervening party in the case that represents 11 independent voters in Idaho.
• Idaho GOP to make case for closing primary (KHQ Associated Press) Testimony Wednesday focused on a survey by a Republican pollster that found support for the idea that Democrat and Independent voters crossover into Republican primaries.
• GOP argues for closed primary (Todd Dvorak Associated Press, The Spokesman Review - WA) The survey found that 41 percent of those voters identified themselves as non-GOP voters. Of those, 39 percent who identified as Democrats or likely to vote for Democrats said they usually take part in Republican primaries.
• Dennis: Republican Vs. Republican (Spokesman Review - WA)
• Republican Vs. Republican, Mad Magazine-style (DennisMansfield.com) It is a trial of huge proportions, because it is a trial the outcome of which will mold the future of the state - who will run for office, who will serve in office and what policies will be followed for education, for the sanctity of life, for spending and for so many other vital issues.
• Closed primary trial kicks off in federal court (Spokesman Review/Eye on Boise)
• A positive step away from partisanship (By Harvey Platt, The Oregonian) One positive step toward inclusion would be establishing an "open primary" in Oregon, much like both California and Washington have recently enacted. The systematic exclusion of up to a third of independent eligible primary voters in our state is regrettable.

BLOOMBERG

• Green Party Candidates Race to Join the Committee to Draft Michael Bloomberg Press Conference This Thursday (PRESS RELEASE PR Newswire, Committee to Draft Michael Bloomberg)

WFP

• Still Working for Working People (Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation/Editor's Cut) As WFP executive director Dan Cantor told New York Magazine, “We’re looking to get a good vote on the Working Families line and use the power that accrues to that vote to influence outcomes.”

NY GOV DEBATE

• Jeremy Morlock: The Circus is Coming to Town (East Aurora Advertiser) Charles Barron is a former Black Panther running on the newly formed Freedom Party line. The outspoken councilman from Brooklyn arranged for the dictator Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe to be honored with a reception at New York's City Hall in 2002. Barron decided to run in a protest bid for governor after becoming upset that the Democratic Party's statewide slate included only white people. "The Freedom Party will not stand by & allow the Democratic Party or anyone else to continue to take the Black & Latino vote for granted," the party website states.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 10/13/10

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Trial About to Begin in Idaho Republican Party Lawsuit to Create a Closed Republican Primary (Ballot Access News)

THIRD PARTY

• Cokie and Steve Roberts: Voter discontent could result in a third party (Muskegon Chronicle - MI) Will a third party emerge and play a major role in the elections of 2012? History says the answer is no, and that’s probably a good thing. 

BLOOMBERG

• NYC mayor to campaign for redistricting in Fla. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Miami Herald)

TEA PARTY

• Poll examines Tea Party faith values - Nearly Half of Tea Party Movement also identify with Christian Conservative Movement (By Public Religion Research Institute) They are largely Republican partisans. More than three-quarters say they identify with (48%) or lean towards (28%) the Republican Party. More than 8-in-10 (83%) say they are voting for or leaning towards Republican candidates in their districts, and nearly three-quarters (74%) of this group report usually supporting Republican candidates.
• Tea party convention hears congressional hopefuls (By TYLER WHITLEY, Richmond TIMES-DISPATCH) Asked at the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Convention whom he would support for Speaker of the House, Golden answered "Ron Paul."

FLORIDA

• Q Poll Shows a Dead Heat in Governor's Race; Independents Shift? (Sunshine State News/KENRIC WARD'S BLOG) Independent voters appear to be shifting the race. Independents, who backed Scott 46-40 at the start of the month, now support Sink 51-34.
•  QUINNIPIAC POLL
• Wild swings in Florida gov. race (By: CNN's Jeff Simon)

CALIFORNIA

• Maldonado, Bowen should keep jobs (BY San Diego UNION-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL BOARD) Maldonado is highly unconventional by California political standards, a Republican willing to buck the GOP establishment and work with moderates and across party lines.

COLORADO

• 527 equals sleaze (LETTER The Aspen Times) One canvasser came to my door and told me — incorrectly — that I might as well vote for Wilson because there is no way independent candidate Kathleen Curry, who is running for re-election as our House District 61 state representative, can win as a write-in candidate.
• In fact, as a widely respected legislator and the only candidate in the race with actual elected experience, Kathleen is clearly the leading contender.
• Curry sees tough fight for the election (by Curtis Wackerle, Aspen Daily News) Curry was a democrat until dis-affiliating in December, citing frustration with the increasing bitterness of the two-party system. She is attempting to do what many political observers say is impossible: Win as a write-in candidate.
• Curry's dedication should earn votes (LETTER Glenwood Springs CO Post Independent) I encourage other citizens of the Roaring Fork Valley in joining me in demonstrating our support for rational centrist policies by writing-in Kathleen Curry for State Representative. Let's lead Colorado in making this election day Independent's Day as a rejection of political extremism and partisan gridlock!
• Korkowski sticks to conservative principles (by Curtis Wackerle, Aspen Daily News) “It didn’t look like there was a solid conservative candidate in the race ... so I decided to do it,” said Korkowski, who is in a three-way race to represent House District 61 with democrat Roger Wilson of Missouri Heights and unaffiliated candidate Kathleen Curry of Gunnison.

FLORIDA

• Meet Charlie Crist's unconventional U.S. Senate campaign team (By Adam C. Smith, Times Political Editor, St. Petersburg Times)

MAINE

• Race for Maine Governor 2010: Who the candidates are, and what they stand for (By Steve Mistler, Lewiston Sun Journal) Maine voters this November will have five distinct options for governor, along with five declared write-in candidates.

SOUTH DAKOTA

• Other View: Shutting out independent voters sends bad message - Every vote counts. That phrase is tossed about whenever an election is so close, a single vote can determine the outcome. It rarely happens, but that doesn’t diminish the value of each vote cast in every election. (Mitchell Daily Republic)

NEW YORK

• New York’s Debate Gap (NY Times) Mr. Paladino’s insistence that any debates include the minor candidates, and that excluding the African-American and female candidates would be unfair, has given the front-running Mr. Cuomo cover to avoid a two-candidate debate.
• Poll: 58 % of Voters Say a 3rd Political Party is Needed (Reported by: Jane Flasch, WHAM Channel 13 ABC Rochester) Barron is a New York City Councilman.  He broke with the Democratic Party over Andrew Cuomo’s choice of Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy for a running mate. “The Democratic Party has taken us for granted,” he said in announcing his run.  “The Republican Party has ignored us.”  Barron is seeking 50 thousand votes to make his “all Black” Freedom Party a recognized party on the state ballot.
• Avella lands teachers union nod (BY LISA L. COLANGELO, NY Daily News) RECENT POLLS may show former Councilman and Democratic state Senate candidate Tony Avella lagging behind Republican incumbent Frank Padavan. But last week, Avella unveiled an endorsement he thinks is key to winning in the Democratic-leaning 10th Senate District.
• AG candidate Dan Donovan believes opponent Eric Schiderman is part of the problem in Albany (Tom Wrobleski, SI Advance)
• New Yorkers’ Anger at Politicians Doesn’t Fuel a Surge in Voter Registration (By SAM ROBERTS, NY Times) Despite professed outrage over dysfunctional politicians, few unregistered New Yorkers have been motivated enough to register to vote in November, according to election officials.
• Dan Donovan Clears Independence Party Chief In Loan Probe (BY CELESTE KATZ
• Daily News/Daily Politics)
• Real Estate Flexes Muscle - Industry Backing Both Democrats and Republicans in Aggressive Campaign Push (By ELIOT BROWN, Wall Street Journal)
• Freedom Party event launches election campaign (By Dee Knight, Bronx, N.Y., Workers World) An exciting event launched the Freedom Party campaign on Oct. 3 at the Church of the Resurrection, which also serves as home to the South Bronx Community Congress. Charles Barron and Ramon Jimenez, candidates for governor and attorney general, respectively, both spoke eloquently about the emerging Black and Latino/a alliance that sees well beyond the Nov. 2 elections to a new “people’s power bloc” that can genuinely fight for and protect the interests of working people in the city and state of New York.
• 'General' mayhem - AG debate bares 'party' animals (By BRENDAN SCOTT NY Post Correspondent) The Rev. Al Sharpton, Pedro Espada Jr. and Carl Paladino unexpectedly took center stage in yesterday's testy attorney-general debate, as both candidates sought to force the other to carry his party's baggage.

Lenora Fulani: Two Good Choices -- Charles Barron on Freedom Party Line or Andrew Cuomo on Independence Party Column "C"

Fulani  Says “We have Two Good Choices”

in Governor’s Race

Urges Vote for Charles Barron on Freedom Party line or Andrew Cuomo  on Independence Party’s Column “C”

Either Vote Advances “Twin Causes of 

Independent Politics and Black empowerment”

New York, NY—Dr. Lenora Fulani held a press conference Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 at 10:30 am at the Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem, 2116 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., to recommend two choices in the November Governor’s race—Charles Barron on the Freedom Party line or Andrew Cuomo on the Independence Party’s Column “C.”  Both, says Fulani, will advance the “twin causes of independent politics and black empowerment.”

Dr. Fulani is a founder of the Independence Party of New York.  Cuomo received the state party’s endorsement for Governor in May.   Councilmember Charles Barron, also a candidate for Governor, needs 50,000 this November to obtain ballot status for the fledgling Freedom Party. 

“I welcome Charles Barron’s entry into independent politics and his bid to create the Freedom Party,” said Fulani.  “And I want to urge the Harlem community, together with independent-minded people across this state, to help the Freedom Party get the 50,000 votes needed for ballot status.”

“The Independence Party, of course, has a gubernatorial candidate this year, Andrew Cuomo, a traditional liberal who says he wants to reform Albany,” continued Fulani. “On the one hand, Democrats say that every year. But this year is different because Cuomo is not just running as a Democrat. He is running on the Independence Party line – New York’s premier pro-reform party. And in this, the voters of New York finally have a real choice.  They can vote for Mr. Cuomo on the Independence line, or they can vote for Mr. Barron on the Freedom Party line.  With either vote, the twin causes of independent politics and black empowerment will be advanced. “

Bringing independent options to the black and progressive communities has been a motivating principle of Dr.Fulani’s over the course of her 25 year career as a political activist.  Political independence is increasingly popular within communities of color.  Today, of the roughly 800,000 non-aligned independents in New York City, 20% are African American, 24% are Latino and 11% are Asian-American.  Nationally, 30% of African Americans between 18-29 consider themselves independents. 

An alliance between black and independent voters first appeared in New York City elections on a dramatic scale in the 2005 mayoral contest when Michael Bloomberg received 60% of the independent and 47% of the black vote running on the Independence and Republican Party lines.  In the 2008 presidential election, black and independent voters powered Obama’s upset victory in the Democratic primaries and cemented the coalition that carried him to victory in the November general election.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 9/27/10

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independents Abandon Democrats Ahead Of Midterms (by JOEL ROSE, NPR) Still, Bullock says she supports President Obama. So do Mark Balsam and Yvone Vazquez of rural Bucks County, Pa. They both voted for Obama two years ago, but neither seems excited about the candidates in this election. I will vote for somebody, probably," Balsam says. "I don't feel highly motivated, I guess." "I might not vote at all, period," Vazquez says.
• Tired of 'tea party' sniping, moderates organize (By James Oliphant, LA Times) The No Labels effort, expected to launch later this year, is backed by Republicans such as McKinnon, the former Bush advisor, and Nancy Jacobson, a powerful Democratic fundraiser married to pollster Mark Penn. Another Washington group, think tank Third Way, advocates "a moderate ideology" built around such issues as free trade and clean energy.
• Obama looks to youth vote for a late midterm surge (By Philip Ruckerand Anne E. Kornblut, Washington Post) NOTE: Independents voted in 2008 for Barack Obama, not the Democratic Party. And there's really nothing the Dems can do about that. When you're a Dem, you're a Dem all the way. That's what partisanship IS! And that's what independents don't like. Looks like a nice little political trap for the parties. Good luck fellas! - NH  PS -- About 45% of youth under the age of 25 consider themselves independent. But knock yourselves out!

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Power plays: Propositions 25 and 26 - they're both bad policy dressed up as reform (EDITORIAL LA Daily News) There is a solution to this abuse of government and partisan political fights, and that is to elect a better class of leaders. That's why we support structural reforms such as independent redistricting and open primaries that we think will help elect politicians who put the public's interest before their own. But these two propositions, while dressed up as reforms, will do nothing but make our political problem worse. Vote no on Propositions 25 and 26.
• Perspectives: Bipartisan - or nonpartisan?; What if we rid Congress of petty party politics? (By William J. Kelleher, San Gabriel Valley Tribune) In 2003, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg strongly supported a referendum that would change city election practices from highly partisan to almost completely nonpartisan. If passed by the voters, the law would have opened primary elections to all voters by eliminating the partisan ballot.

MIDTERMS

• Brown: Who wants to be endorsed by a billionaire? (By Fred Brown, The Denver Post) We've reached such a state in this country that hardly anyone is in the middle of the road about anything, even being in the middle of the road.

2012

• Bloomberg's centrist presidential test (By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift, Pocono Record)

COLORADO

• Analysis: Curry’s Long-Shot Election Bid Grows Longer (By Brad Jones, FACE THE STATE, State Bill Colorado) Curry said she’ll press on with her legal fight, but after U.S. District Judge Philip Brimmer turned down her motion last Thursday to block the state campaign-finance law in time for the November election, even an eventual favorable outcome will do her little good in raising contributions toward her re-election bid. It’s also little solace to voters who might want to support her or other candidates outside the GOP-Democrat loop.
• One legal hurdle down, about a dozen more to go (By Marianne Goodland, THE COLORADO STATESMAN) In June, Judge Marcia Krieger ruled in favor of Buescher and co-defendant Linda Daley, clerk of La Plata County on the ballot access issue. Under state law, a person who wants to run as an unaffiliated candidate must disaffiliate from a political party within a specific time before the next general election. Curry and Riddle sought an injunction against that law, stating that it violated their 1st Amendment and 14th Amendment rights. That case is now on appeal with the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

NEW YORK

• Where Have All the Political Parties Gone? - Working Families swoops into the void. (By Chris Smith, NY Mag) That the WFP, the biggest institutional local political success story of the past decade, finds itself wobbling between enormous influence and extinction is emblematic of a larger drama: the highly fluid state of the New York political Establishment not named Michael Bloomberg.
• Cuomo Facing Criticism From Blacks (By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE, NY Times) Mr. Cuomo is also being challenged from the left by Charles Barron, a black city councilman in New York who is running on the Freedom Party line.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS - 12/12/09

• CT: John Mertens challenges Chris Dodd on the Lieberman line, to what end?
• ME: Independent Gov candidate Alex Hammer speaks for small business and Obama's party dilemma
• Don Campbell thinks it's time for independents to 'rise up'
• NC: Repubs vote to keep open primary
• AL: Alabama Files Brief in 11th Circuit in Ballot Access Case (Ballot Access News)
• PA: Partisan redistricting helps pols elect themselves
• GA: Kasim Reed certified as Atlanta's mayor (recount reveals 1 extra vote - how's that for accuracy???)
• NY: Charles Barron unveils NYC Council reform platform

Lenora Fulani Supports Barron-Avella Reforms for New York City Council Legislative and Budgeting Processes

Dr. Lenora Fulani spoke in support of reforming City Council at a press conference Sunday on the steps of City Hall held by NY City Councilman Charles Barron to announce his candidacy for Speak of City Council and to announce the Barron-Avella NYC Council democratic reform movement.

For video, click here.

Fulani said that while "Charles and I have our differences tactically, we have a strong connection to fighting against poverty." She said she supports reforming the government, but that one difference that she has with Councilman Barron is that he believes you can reform the Democratic Party from inside. "I don't, which is why I'm an outsider, which is why I'm an independent."

Fulani noted that had the Democratic Party had the 150,000 votes [final count] that the Independence Party won on November 3rd in the Mayoral election, they would be preparing for their inauguration.

She emphasized that this is a time for everyone -- "the Mayor, the Council and the citizens" -- to work together.

For Councilman Barron's response, click here.

Reforms are aimed at decreasing the power of the Speaker. Currently the Speaker determines the selection of Chairs to Committees; what Committee Council Members will serve on; how much capital and expense funds each Council Member receives for their districts, and whether a Council Member's legislation with be drafted, be granted a hearing, or receive the light of day for a vote or die in Committee.

Reforms would include:

• A predetermined equitable distribution of capital and expense funds for Council Members
• Reforms in the legislative process
• Reforms in the process of selection of Committee Chairs and Committee assignments
• Reforms in the process of budget negotiations with the Mayor

Community Meeting to Support Dr. Lenora Fulani

Dr. Lenora Fulani spoke to a crowd of 1,000 people at the First A.M.E. Bethel Church in Harlem, October 30, about the abandonment by Mayor Bloomberg of the principles of democracy and independence.

The list of speakers and endorsers is short but important: State Senator Eric Adams, Councilmember Charles Barron, DP Nominee for State Assembly Inez Barron, civil rights attorney Derrick Bell, President of the Grand Council of Guardians Charles Billups (who did a STAND OUT job of emceeing the event), Coalition of Outsiders, President of the Vulcan Society John Coombs, Chair of the James E. Davis Foundation Geoffrey Davis, Producer of the New Heritage Theatre Group Darryl T. Downing, President of Mothers Against Guns Elizabeth Goldsmith, Attorney for the National Action Network and Rev. Al Sharpton Michael Hardy, President of the Van Dyke Houses Tenant Association Lisa Kenner, President and CEO of the All Stars Project Gabrielle L. Krulander, Counselor and Sports Legend Bob McCullough, chairman of the National Latino Officers Association Anthony Miranda, Host of KISS FM Open Line James Mtume, the New York City Organizations of the Independence Party, President of Hip Hop SUV (Stand Up and Vote) Lawayne Perkins, President of IndependentVoting.org Jacqueline Salit, Former President of the Vulcan Society Paul Washinton, Retired NYPD officer Graham Weatherspoon, and Vice President of the New York State Ministers Wives and Widows Dr. W. Ruth Whitney.... and many many others...

Dr. Fulani has been attacked by many of the leaders she has helped the most, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Why? Because Lenora Fulani is a progressive and an independent who fights for the people. She is a leftist and a radical -- and that's not allowed.

New York City is at a crossroads. Mike Bloomberg and other elected officials want to do away with term limits and cement their power. We need to speak out for independent peoples' power and for the leaders who have been there for us!

The black and independent alliance put Mike Bloomberg in office and if we continue to build the movement, he and the rest of the city council and all the other politicians around will have to account to the black and indpendent alliance.

Power to the People.

Stay tuned. More video snipits to come!